Sense and Memory
by Ava Montgomery
Summary: After the Time War, Romana has to find her way through various universes trying to find her way back to her own. Along the way, she picks up two familiar faces: Ianto Jones and Donna Noble.
1. Chapter 1

Ianto fell on the asphalt, but not even the momentary pain in his palms could overwhelm the pain in his back and shoulder. The London fog, smelling of acrid smoke, rubbish, and ale, closed in.

"I thought the Welshies were supposed to be better fighters," Mitchem said, walking slowly to one side. He popped his knuckles and took off his bowler hat. He dropped in his pocket watch and set it aside.

Bryant had already removed his hat, watch, and coat, and was walking to Ianto's other side. "Nah. That's a myth. Lookit this one. If he was such a fighter, he'd be fighting more."

Ianto wondered if it would even be worth turning over. It was shit like this that made him wonder why he had signed on at Torchwood. Sure, they had offered to expunge his record, but they had given him strict rules. Fighting back was against the rules. Mitchem and Bryant, the assholes, had learned to take advantage. He sighed. Which would he rather get beaten today? Face or back?

He felt someone's fist - Mitchem's, by the meatiness of it - hit his back. He grunted, but refused to fall farther. Didn't want to damage his suit. His back, then.

"If you do that again, it will be a most unwise decision."

Ianto looked to see who had spoken. A woman. Maybe in her later twenties, brown hair cut just past her shoulders. She wore a duster coat buttoned up to her neck. She looked younger than he was, but he had never seen such old eyes.

"Stay out of this, lady."

She looked at Bryant in distaste. "I would advise you not to advise me. I've been having a very bad day."

"Ooooooooooh," Bryant said, making a face of exaggerated fear at Mitchem. "She's been having a bad day! She might cry at me." He looked down at his side, and his expression changed to one of confusion and growing fear. "What did you do? What did you do to me?" His knees gave out, and he fell to the ground. Shortly thereafter, Bryant fell as well.

Ianto watched her carefully; she held something in her palm, and though she wasn't pointing it at him, she hadn't pointed it at the others, either.

She looked down at him. "You're Ianto Jones."

Even though she had stated it as a fact and not a question, he nodded.

She slipped the device into a coat of her pocket, staring behind him in thought. After a few moments, her eyes focused on his face again. "If you like, you may come with me. My companion, if you will."

"Where?" What, exactly, did she think he was? "What do you mean, companion?"

"Someone to travel with me. It isn't as you seem to think. You would merely keep me company."

He gave another slight nod. "I'm under contract."

"What could they do to you if they couldn't find you?"

He suspected they could do plenty. Torchwood was King Edward's personal military force, little more than glorified mobsters. "And where would we be going?"

She smiled. "Everywhere." She paused. "But I warn you, Ianto Jones. If you come with me, you'll never be able to return."

He stood and dusted himself off. It had just become much more tempting. "Why me?"

"Because you are important."

Well, that was certainly nice to hear. "And why am I important?"

"Come with me, and I'll tell you."

He glanced at London, at the streets choked with grime, and women displaying their wares. The smoke and dirt in the air darkened each gas lamp to only a shade of its brilliance. His family was dead, he had a job he hated, and there were worse things than traveling with a woman who was weird and possibly deranged.

He straightened his tie. "Since I'll be traveling with you, what am I supposed to call you?"

"Romana." She turned and began to walk away, indicating that he should walk beside her. "Prepare to see the universe in a whole new light, Ianto Jones." 


	2. Chapter 2

They reached what she called the TARDIS, and she explained why it was larger on the inside and moved around a console in the middle of the room. When she and Ianto next stepped outside, they found themselves in a London that wasn't London. Ianto looked around, and though he seemed perfectly calm, his eyes were larger than usual, and his lips wore a small frown of distaste. The women didn't wear many clothes, which was utterly shameful. It didn't take him long to like it, however.

They didn't stay in the next world for long, just long enough for Ianto to get some clothes and Romana to poke around a little. "You might want to give these computers a try," she suggested. "I think you'd be rather good at them."

They fell into a sort of routine. Romana didn't seem to need much sleep, if she got any at all, and Ianto would sometimes accompany her outside or would prepare some tea and sit in her library. He had since discovered that the TARDIS was even larger than he initially thought, with the library alone taking up almost as much space as a small palace. She also had several computers from different eras and worlds, and when he felt more secure of his position with her, he began familiarizing himself with the different machines.

"How would you feel," Romana said from over his shoulder one day, "if we took on a third?"

After the first jump of surprise - he hadn't known she was in the library - he shrugged. "It's up to you, ma'am. Not my place to say."

She wrinkled her brow at the "ma'am;" she hadn't been able to get him to call her by her name. "Oh, stop behaving like a long-suffering servant. I'm serious. You live here as well. I want your opinion."

He looked away from the computer monitor and studied her. He couldn't tell for sure, but sometimes he thought she looked thinner and more sallow than when they had first met. "Would it help you in your purpose, ma'am?"

She nodded. "I suspect so, if my theory proves correct."

He turned back to the screen. "Then by all means." He looked at the monitor, but his thoughts couldn't focus on it. "And let me get you some tea while you're here."

When he returned, he found her sitting in the chair beside his. They drank in companionable silence for a few minutes, and then she said. "There are a few problems we might have with the new person." Seeing Ianto's expectant look, she elaborated. "Firstly, we have to find her. Secondly, she may not seem... right at the moment. She may be a little trying on the nerves. But time seems to be converging on her. All throughout the universe, events seem to be growing around this one woman. In every universe. She's like you, actually. In every universe I've been to, there's always been a Ianto Jones."

"Really?" She had mentioned his being a constant when he had first arrived, but it was only after he had traveled to so many universes that he was beginning to appreciate the fact. Romana smiled, and he couldn't help but compare her to Yvonne. Romana seemed to win on all fronts. Kind, generous, organized, intelligent, and able to clean up after herself. He trusted her judgement, even if it meant his own discomfort. "So who is this person we're supposed to find?"

Romana smiled. "Donna Noble." 


	3. Chapter 3

Donna, for the past three years, had felt like she was missing out on something. Of course, she was temping at a Ingel's, Incorporated, the finest makers of bathroom tiles since 1837. All she'd been doing since she'd started here was inputting data entry. How many did tiles did this person buy, what about that one? Was it bought in Splott or Slough? Good lord, she got sick of it. But Sylvia had always said that a paycheck was a paycheck. With things in London getting more and more expensive, Donna was working all the time even at this. She was actually considering moving to the country, where things were cheaper. Gramps would have liked the country.

The phone rang, and Donna, happy for a distraction, grabbed at it. "Donna Noble, Ingel's Incorporated, how may I help you?"

"You could meet me downstairs in ten minutes."

Donna held the phone away from her ear and looked at it, then looked around the office suspiciously. Was someone playing a trick on her? The voice was masculine and sounded Welsh. If it was that new bloke, the intern... No, he was at his desk, trying not to look at Leslie Polley's legs.

"Miss Noble?"

"Who you callin' miss?" she snapped. "Who is this?"

"My name is Ianto Jones. I have a proposition for you."

"Oh, I'll just bet you do, mate. Well, I ain't doing anything, so you can stick your proposition right up your-"

"It isn't that sort of proposition, Miss Noble. I'm offering you retirement, the opportunity to travel. I only ask that you meet me in your courtyard in ten minutes." The phone clicked.

Donna pulled the phone away again. Had he really just hung up on her? Had he hung up on her? Oh, but that was ballsy. She looked at the computer monitor, at the cursor that blinked drearily in the order number cell.

In a flash, she had grabbed her purse and told Margie she was taking a break. The ride in the lift took longer than usual. It wasn't everyday she got a mysterious phone call from a mysterious stranger telling her to come to a mysterious meeting. Mysteriously, it gave her a bit of thrill.

She stepped out of the lift and tried to act cool, looking at the courtyard with a faint frown.

A thin man in a black suit and bowler hat ≈ a bowler? ≈ were at one of the tables. He sat beside a woman with brown hair pulled back in an upsweep, wearing what looked like a dress that had gone out of style in the sixties and a faded brown duster. They both looked young, in their mid-to-upper-twenties, and Donna was more than a little disappointed when she saw the man raise his hand to beckon her over.

"What's this all about?" she demanded, going over. "Is someone doing something to my desk upstairs? Oh my God. Is Paula trying to steal my stapler again?" She couldn't believe it. "That woman needs a life!"

The woman smiled. "Nothing of the sort, I assure you. Have a seat, Donna."

Donna looked at the seat the woman indicated and saw that there was already a cup of tea there. Neither the woman nor the man drank from their cups until she sat and took a sip from hers.

"My name is Romana, and this is Ianto Jones. We travel for a living. We were wondering if you might like to join us."

Donna's jaw dropped. It didn't close, even as she spoke. "Wah?"

Romana's lips spread into a grin. She glanced at Ianto, who didn't take his eyes off Donna's face. He was utterly expressionless, even as he sipped his tea. "You are a very important woman, Donna Noble." She lifted a hand to cut off Donna's argument. "You may not believe me now, but you are. I do not yet know how; not that you are not important, but if you'll forgive me, you seem no more important than most humans. Yet you are very important, Donna Noble, and neither of us will ever find out why if you do not come with me."

Donna's eyes narrowed. "You're serial killers, aren't you." It wasn't a question.

Ianto's face finally changed, a slight wrinkling of amusement around his eyes.

Romana chuckled. "No. I assure you, the offer is quite genuine. Think about it, Donna Noble. What's keeping you here? Have you never thought of something more?"

Despite herself, Donna hesitated. She had to admit that she didn't know what was keeping her here, and she had been thinking of it increasingly lately as she input data hour after hour. "I've got a job, and a home."

"Anyone can fill that job," Romana said, and even though the words might not have been the kindest, they were spoken gently. "And anyone can live in your house. Anyone can live your life right now, Donna. But very, very few people get to do what we do." She looked across at Ianto and smiled.

"And why me?" Donna demanded. "I don't care if you think I'm important. I'm not. I'm a temp in Harlan's Cross, nothing more."

The woman stood. "I'm giving you the opportunity to be something more, Donna Noble. All you have to do is come by the Metropolitan Library by five this evening. Mr. Jones and I will be waiting." She smiled. "Feel free to bring whatever you would like. We have plenty of room. But I should mention, Donna, that if you come with us, you will never be able to return."

"And that's supposed to be tempting, is it?"

Romana shrugged. "Perhaps. So long as you're with me, you won't have a nine-to-five job, if that's any more tempting. So long as you're with me, you won't have to worry about a place to live, or where your next meal is coming from. It may be dangerous at times ≈ I can't lie to you. But the good times far outweigh the bad." Her voice lowered. "You could save people, Donna. Save planets and universes. See the stars of Linophaeleton Eight. You can go far into the past and far into the future and into other universes." She drew away and exhaled. "If you meet us by five. We won't wait for long." She turned and walked away, Ianto Jones falling in beside her like a wingman.

Donna stared after them. What the hell did they think she was, stupid? 


	4. Chapter 4

"That didn't go well," Romana remarked with a sigh, knowing that Ianto wouldn't criticize her unless she made the first move.

"She does seem untrusting," he admitted, not looking at her. He was too busy watching some men in their thirties who ≈ he thought ≈ were looking at Romana a little too much.

Romana, in turn, watched him. He had changed since they had met. Of course, she wasn't entirely sure what he had been like before they had met, though she had seen his files when reading up on his world's Torchwood. She had known him to be thorough, precise, and organized, but she had since found him to be steady when she needed him, and protective whether she needed it or not. He had a dry sense of humor and had immense skill reading people. In many ways, she appreciated his opinion more than many of the Time Lords. When she could get him to give it ≈ which he had begun doing more and more ≈ it was obvious he had put much thought into it.

She glanced at the young men and dismissed them instantly. After facing hordes of Daleks, street criminals didn't particularly bother her. Not that she was going to underestimate them, but she had seen far more frightening enemies. "It's this world of hers. People have a habit of dying early."

"Violence?"

She wondered idly when would he stop thinking that violence was always the cause or the solution? Still, he was less angry than when they had first met, less reserved. That was encouraging. She shook her head. "Pollution. They made too many scientific gains, from what I can tell, but went too quickly and didn't learn how to deal with them. The damage that has been caused to the environment may be irreparable." There was a chance that Donna would be sickly as a result, maybe even dying already, but Romana refused to believe she wouldn't be able to do something about that.

Ianto and Romana walked back to the TARDIS. It was disguised as a statue of a curly-haired man with a long scarf and one hand tucked in his pocket; the other hand held out a jelly baby. The statue was smiling widely. Romana paused to quirk her lips at it. "If Donna does not agree, we'll just have to try again in another world." She was worse at accepting defeat in her old age, she knew. She wondered what the Doctor would make of it. But she would find out soon enough, because she would ≈ one way or another ≈ find her way back to him.

"Why didn't we try the Donnas in the past three worlds?" Ianto asked. "I thought you would have invited the one in the last world for certain."

Romana shook her head. She had been thinking it, until that Donna had flashed an engagement ring at her friends and chattered nonstop about a man named Harold. "Those Donnas all had something keeping them in their world, tying them down. This Donna has lost her parents and grandfather, is about to get laid off, and is about to lose her house."

Ianto looked at her curiously.

"I might have looked at the stocks earlier today," Romana admitted, looking almost sheepish. And Donna's finances. She didn't have a sonic screwdriver like the Doctor, but she had other ways.

He didn't respond, but it occurred to him ≈ not for the first time ≈ that Romana didn't leave much to chance. He sometimes wondered about their first meeting, and whether or not it was a coincidence that he was being beaten up just as she happened along.

He took her coat and hung it up before hanging up his own. He knew he didn't have to take care of such things, but he had found that cleaning and organizing the TARDIS helped him relax. It was also his way of repairing Romana for the clothes, food, and lodgings she provided without question. And if she had arranged their first meeting, well, his life was better now than it ever had been, and he wouldn't allow himself to forget it.

"Tea, ma'am."

She smiled. "Thank you, Ianto. That would be lovely." She paused. "And let's set a third, just in case."

*

It was half-past one in the afternoon, and Donna was in the cemetery, staring at the stone before her. She stood on a mass grave, and though she felt gruesome walking over the dead, it was the only way to get close enough to read the names on the tombstone. The last column had a bunch of X's, the bodies that hadn't been identified but had been buried anyway.

Her company had waited until they had come back from lunch to announce massive lay-offs. Her chances of finding another job before she lost her home were almost nil. So at least she had homelessness to look forward to. Wizard.

She leaned backward and sighed, looking up at the sky. Generations ago, it had been blue. But now it was dark gray, and Nerys said the atmosphere was toxic to breathe. But Nerys had always been a bit of a stupid bint. The thought of air killing people was ridiculous. They had people to regulate that sort of thing.

She wondered if Romana and Ianto knew what a blue sky looked like. She was willing to bet they did. They seemed to be from one of those places, one of those clean places like Nepal or Andaver. She'd definitely never seen a suit as nice as Ianto's before.

She looked at the tombstone again. If she left, she would never be able to return. That was what Romana had said.

But what was keeping her here? Her parents were gone, Gramps was gone, she'd just lost her job, and her home was next. And it was all very well to want to visit her family's graves, but if she didn't watch it, she'd be living under a plastic sheet behind them. Or not living at all. She bit her lip. But did that make it all right? She felt almost as if she'd be abandoning them.

What would Gramps want, though? What about Dad, even Mum?

Donna stood and stuck her hands in her pockets. "Sorry, Mum. Dad. Gramps." Especially Gramps. "I've got to go. Things can't get much worse around here, but I've thought that before. There are these people, see... But it doesn't look like I'll come back if I go with them. But I'm going with them. I've got to."

Because at least then, things stood a chance of getting better.

*

She was at the library steps within an hour, peering around. There wasn't much to peer at; it wasn't as if many people used the library anymore, hadn't for years. Books were antiques, too expensive for the common folk.

Donna glowered at some blokes in bulky, tattered jackets at the foot of the steps, looking at her suitcase appraisingly. They'd better keep their distance, or she'd give them what-for.

"Do you need help with your things?"

She spun around, ready to hit the speaker, but Ianto hopped back and nimbly avoided her fist. "Blimey! Don't you know better than to sneak up on a girl?"

Ianto's eyes wrinkled. "Here. Let me get that for you." He reached for her suitcase, and after a moment's hesitation, she handed it over. If he had noticed her hesitation, he didn't let on. "We've just put the kettle on."

Her head whipped around to face him. "Going to boil me in something, are you?"

This time, there was the faintest trace of a smile. "Was going to, but I couldn't find a big enough pot."

"Oi! What you trying to say?"

He immediately looked faintly abashed. "I apologize. I meant human-sized."

"I'll just bet you did, you stick." Not even thin enough to be a twig himself. But he seemed so taken aback that she had to take pity on him. She'd only been teasing anyway. Well, half-teasing. "So where're we going?"

Ianto pointed at a statue, and before Donna could point out the sheer stupidity of going to a statue when they could have left this part of town already, its side opened up, and Romana stood in the opening.

"Glad to see you decided to join us."

Donna shrugged, more interested in what was behind Romana. "Is that a secret passageway? I had no idea that was there! Of course, I never saw that statue there, either."

Romana moved aside and let Donna in. As Ianto carried Donna's suitcase inside, Donna's jaw dropped. This was no passageway. It was far too big. Bigger than the outside, even.

"Blimey," she breathed.

Romana grinned at Ianto. "Welcome to the TARDIS, Donna Noble." 


	5. Chapter 5

Romana was feeling comfortable enough with whatever her timeline was that she allowed a stop at Donna's home to pick up some other odds and ends. Ianto went inside with Donna while Romana stayed in the TARDIS, muttering over papers covered in writing that Ianto couldn't begin to comprehend.

Her calm, however, did not last. They went through another five universes, and though Donna and Ianto certainly didn't mind the change in scenery, they spent less time in each world. And though Romana seemed outwardly calm, and would go out with them sometimes to explore, she would inevitably begin to fidget and suggest they go back to the TARDIS.

"What's she looking for, anyway?" Donna asked after the sixth time. She was sitting at the table in the kitchen while Ianto did the washing-up.

"Near as I can tell, she's trying to find her own universe."

"What, after taking us out of ours?"

Ianto shrugged as best he could with suds up to his elbows. "From what I've gathered, she didn't leave her universe by choice. I think that's why she brought us. You and I are in every universe, but the other Donnas and Iantos all have families or good jobs. We had the choice. Maybe she still has those things back in her universe?"

"Maybe," Donna admitted, not really believing it. She didn't see why Romana wouldn't want to travel through universes forever. Donna certainly enjoyed it. She noticed that she was feeling better than she had in ages; her skin was tinged a color other than gray, and she could walk and run farther than she ever had before. "But what's the rush, then? Seems like we never have time to shop anymore."

Ianto smiled. Or rather, his version of a smile, which was little more than a hint that his lips could smile. "We'll find out one day."

"No need," said Romana from the doorway. "We're here." She smiled at them both, and it occurred to them that no matter how many times they had seen her happy, every previous smile paled in comparison to this one. She tossed Ianto a cloth. "Time to save the universe, darlings."

*

Romana ran through the TARDIS doors, and only Ianto grabbing hold of her arm kept her from hurtling into space. He waited until he was certain she wouldn't jump out of the TARDIS again before letting her go.

She peeked over the threshold. "I don't understand it. These are the coordinates for Earth. I set the coordinates myself." She looked back at the TARDIS console, almost as if it had betrayed her.

"Did you misplace a decimal?" Donna asked. "I've done that before."

Romana made a face but headed back to the console to check her figures nonetheless. Ianto silently tutted and closed the door.

"No," Romana said after a few moments. "The figures are correct. The Earth should≈"

A single, deep bell clanged loudly, echoing throughout the TARDIS.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Donna demanded.

"Cloister bell." Romana spoke hurriedly, running around the console. "Means the TARDIS is in immense danger and about to be destroyed." She spun a dial to no avail and ended up pounding it with her fist. "The Eye of Harmony has been destroyed. No power."

"What the bloody hell does that mean?" Donna yelled.

"Means no power." Romana wasn't looking at either of them, and Ianto wondered if she was even aware they were here. "Switching to emergency power, rerouting existing TARDIS power supply to shields."

"What do you mean, sh-"

"I mean shields, Donna Noble!" Romana snapped. "And if you keep bothering me with questions, I'll toss you out into space, have you got that?"

Donna shut up, her expression was wounded. Romana was too busy to notice, but Ianto tried to give Donna a look of empathy.

"Brace yourselves!" Romana shouted.

All three of them grabbed something sturdy from nearby and clung for all the were worth. Seconds ticked by and kept ticking. Donna lifted her head to ask another question, and then a shuddering crash reverberated through the TARDIS. 


	6. Chapter 6

Captain Jack Harkness was on his way back to the Hub, whistling a jaunty tune and feeling pleased with everyone and everything when a call came over his comm.

"Sorry for the intrusion, sir, but it seems we have more work today." Ianto's voice came through loud and clear, and even though Jack was happy to hear him sounding safe and sound, he had the rather sour thought that he would have liked to be alone with him, safe and sound, instead.'

He sighed. "What is it this time, Ianto? Please don't tell me it's another Weevil. I'm in too good of a mood to go hunting in the sewers."

"No, sir. It seems when you and the Doctor were putting the Earth back into position, we hit something. Alien tech, by the signals."

"Can't tell anything more?"

"No, sir. Except that it crashed in Splott. Gwen and I are headed there now."

"Splott, eh? Sounds like a fitting place for a crash. I'll see you out there." He turned on the blue lights for the Torchwood SUV and made a U-turn.

*

There were popping sounds, though whether these were what woke Ianto up or the sharp pain in his side, he couldn't tell. The TARDIS was on its side, and anything that could fall had done so against the wall near the door. As for Ianto, he had landed against the console. He moved gingerly, making sure everything was attached and fully functional, and looked around for Romana and Donna.

Donna was lying on top of the debris, and he could see that she was slowly coming to. He moved around the console and let go, sliding to land beside her. "Are you all right?" He watched her pupils as she blinked. It was too dim in here to see; he'd have to take her outside.

"Yeah. I'm fine. You?"

"Excellent," he lied. His ribs hurt like hell. "We ought to do that more often. Where's Romana?"

Donna shrugged, then cringed and grabbed her shoulder. "Dunno. She was..." She looked at the console. "On this side of the console, which means..." She looked at the pile of the debris they were on and tried to skitter back. "God, she's under there!" She tried to pry out part of a chair.

Ianto laid a hand on her arm. "Don't bother. I'll do it. You need to get outside. Maybe get some help."

Donna nodded and scrambled to the door. It took her a few moments for her to figure out how to open it sideways, but when she did, she froze. "Ianto?"

"Yes?"

"No, I mean this Ianto. The real one." She looked at Ianto behind her. What had they fallen into?

"Donna?" came a voice from outside. Deep, masculine, American. Ianto frowned and moved closer, then stuck his head outside next to Donna's. His jaw dropped. Of course, Romana had explained the possibility of this happening ≈ even going so far as to say she wished they could avoid it, as it would lead to all sort of problems ≈ so he was somewhat prepared. Which was more than he could say for his counterpart in this universe, or for the man in military uniform beside him. 


	7. Chapter 7

The man from the military lowered his pistol. "I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now. Well, I can, but it'll have to wait."

That spurred Ianto into action. "She needs a medic," he said, indicating Donna. "And we have another person here. Romana. We think she's trapped under the furniture." He turned back into the TARDIS, then stopped as he realized no one was following him. "Stop gawking and come on! She may need help!"

The man in uniform flashed a grin and put his gun in a holster. "Can't turn down an order like that." He glanced at Ianto - his Ianto - and nodded to Donna. "Take care of her, will you? I'll be back in a sec." He followed the first Ianto inside and said, "I hope you aren't called Ianto, too. That'll just get confusing."

"You can call me Jones, if it will make it easier," Ianto snapped. He was already shoving furniture off the top of the pile. He had more important things to worry about than how people were going to tell him and his counterpart apart.

"Might. I'm Jack, by the way, Captain Jack Harkness."

"Very good, sir." He flinched as Captain Harkness stepped heavily on the floor of rubbish. "Please watch your step, sir. Romana may be injured."

Jack flashed him a grin. "Still call me sir, huh?"

Ianto held up a hand to silence him. "Romana?" He thought he had heard her... Yes. There! He moved carefully across a bookshelf and moved a lamp. He breathed a sigh of relief as he saw her hand wriggling beneath some books. He bent to remove some books and found Captain Harkness beside him, moving some vases and a hat-stand. Together, they pulled her out and set her on her feet. Ianto was too busy checking Romana for injuries to see the look the Captain gave him.

"Whoa. Women and children first, boys," Romana said, checking herself and smoothing down her hair. "Ah, Jack! Good to see you at last!" She smiled warmly at him and clasped Ianto's arm. "Help me to the console, please. The gravitational stabilizer has been damaged."

Ianto wrapped her arm around his shoulders, and with his other arm around her waist, helped her to the console. "This universe's version of me is outside the door with Donna."

"Always a possibility," she said offhandedly. She reached up on tiptoes, and Ianto steadied her as she undid a panel. She watched the panel fall onto the pile of junk as if fascinated and then turned back calmly to the wires. "Let's just hope he isn't called Ianto as well. Would lead to all sorts of confusion."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Jack said from Ianto's elbow. He was looking a little too admiringly at Romana's derriere, and Ianto moved between them protectively. "He's Ianto Jones, all right. Guess I should mention he's my boyfriend."

Romana whistled. "Your boyfriend, Captain? You astound me."

Even though he looked faintly perplexed, Jack's grin didn't falter. "Have we met? I don't remember our being introduced."

She didn't answer. "Hold on tight." She connected two wires, and then all of them were airborne, falling against the floor. Romana pushed herself into a sitting position, now taking the time to make sure Ianto was all right as well. "Well. That's that. Now all we have to do is find the Doctor."

"The Doctor?" Jack asked. "I just left him not half an hour ago! I'll give him a call. He'll be thrilled. You are a Time Lord, aren't you?" He whipped out his mobile.

Romana smiled. "Time Lady. And that won't be necessary. He should be aware that I'm here, just as I'm aware that he is a little over two hundred kilometers away. He should be here shortly." She smoothed her skirt and graced Jack with a smile. "And then we can get down to business."

Jack grinned. "In that case, I'll have Ianto break out the champagne." He saw Ianto stiffen. "My Ianto, that is." 


	8. Chapter 8

The Doctor stood alone in the TARDIS. He wasn't thinking of how many times he had stood alone here before, nor was he thinking that he was soaked to the skin. No, he was thinking of Donna Noble, the most important woman in the universe, the human being who had saved countless people and planets and stars and moons and would never remember.

Where did one travel to when feeling like that? Any place that was happy would be an insult. Any place that was depressing would just make it worse. Of course, he didn't see how it could be any worse.

He moved slowly around the TARDIS, pressing a single button, turning a single dial. The TARDIS hummed faintly.

And then something else began to hum. It had been there for some time, he realized, but only when he was free to let his thoughts wander had he noticed it. A presence in his mind, in his soul. A connection. A Time Lord.

He raced around the console with more speed now. He could sense where the presence was, and of course it would be in Cardiff. Cardiff, of all places, was quickly becoming the center of the universe.

*

Ianto Jones, man of all trades in Torchwood Three, formally of Torchwood One in London, had just been accused of letting his hands have a wander and had been slapped across the face. Nonetheless, the woman who had slapped him had just saved the universe not more than an hour ago, and he forced himself to keep his tone cheerful as he said, "Everything seems to be in working order. No bones broken."

"Hmph." Donna glowered at him, untrusting, and glanced at the TARDIS door. Or flap, in this case, as the TARDIS was on its side, disguised as a rock.

"I was just giving you a check-up!" he said again.

"That what you call it in this universe?" Donna snapped. "Having. A. Wander."

Ianto's ears perked up. Universe? Before he could ask more, Gwen ran up, tapping buttons on her mobile. "Sorry. Rhys called. Andy's got it cordoned off. We really≈ Donna!"

Donna looked at her blankly. "Yeah? What, do you know me?" But that was impossible, wasn't it? She'd only just now gotten to this universe. Unless≈ No... Her jaw dropped, then came up again as a gust of wind blew dirt and blades of grass at them. She threw an arm up to protect her face and for a panicky moment, thought it might be some sort of storm, one that didn't seem violent, but sounded horrible, with a whining, grinding noise that rose and fell and rose and fell.

When everything was still again, she lowered her arm and gaped. That blue box hadn't been there before. And a man was stepping out, looking around expectantly, anxiously. "Gwen Cooper! Ianto Jones! Good to see you so≈ Donna?"

She looked around in exasperation. "How do all of you people know me? I don't know any of you!"

The man's shoulders fell, and he looked crestfallen, hopeful, afraid, all at once. He held out his hand. "John Smith. I'm a friend of your Gramps'."

He took a step back as Donna looked at him angrily, and then both of them were distracted as the nearby rock hopped into the air and stood upright. Seconds later, it resembled a thick tree trunk.

Romana stepped out, Jack and Ianto following behind. She smiled at Donna and then looked at the man. "Ah, Doctor! Good to see you again." 


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor did not seem so happy to see her. "Do I know you? I know you're a Time Lord, and that's brilliant, don't get me wrong. But which Time Lord?"

Romana smiled. "Ah, yes. Because not all Time Lords like you." The Doctor frowned and seemed about to argue, but Romana cut him off. "Romanadvoratrelundar, former Lady President of Gallifrey. And you are still as egotistical as ever, Doctor."

"Romana!" he shouted, and before she had time to blink, he had leapt toward her and scooped her up in a tight hug. "Romana!"

She laughed. "Oh, good. Would you believe, I actually thought for a moment there that you might be the Master? I know I could only sense one Time Lord in this universe, but I still had that moment of doubt."

The Doctor's face fell, but he quickly put the smile back up. "Nah. The Master won't be√ he's dead. He died."

"That might have been before I last saw him," Romana said darkly, "haring off in a stolen TT Capsule to avoid the War."

"The Master's dead," Jack cut in. "I watched him die. So did the Doctor." He bobbed his head toward her. "It was after the War."

"Indeed?" Romana looked from Jack to the Doctor, studying him before putting a gentle hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, Doctor. I know what it must have meant to you."

The Doctor shook himself out of his depression. "We're the only two left. But never mind that. What's Donna doing with you?"

"Hello!" Donna shouted. "I'm right here! So I'd appreciate it if you all just stopped talking about me in the third person."

The Doctor glanced at her and grinned. Same old Donna. "And why are there two Iantos? And why didn't I sense you before?"

Romana laughed again. "And why isn't the Easter Bunny real? And why is Earth the only planet with milk?"

"Only until 2837," the Doctor cut in. He grinned at her, and she grinned back.

"Well, it's quite simple, really. At the end of the Time War, the Daleks found me and blasted my TARDIS; the force of the blast and my proximity to a time rift, combined with my initializing dematerialization, meant that the particles of my TARDIS went through the rift into another universe. Only my navigational system was impaired, so I couldn't find my way back to this universe. A couple of years ago, the walls between the universes grew thinner, and I took advantage and went to universe after universe, searching for this one, but then they closed again and I was stuck in this miserable little universe where somehow fish had become the predominant species. If I never see a cod again, it will be too soon. But then within the past year or so, the walls between universes grew thin again, and as soon as I realized it, I went back to universe-hopping, where I eventually realized that in every universe, there were two constants. Ianto Jones and Donna Noble. So I brought them with me."

Everyone except Ianto √ her Ianto √ gaped at her as she smiled blithely at each of them.

Ianto leaned forward. "I've already informed Captain Harkness. I'm willing to go by Mr. Jones, if that will make things easier, as my counterpart here is also known as Ianto." He looked at his counterpart and gave a polite nod, privately thinking his counterpart would look better with a bowler, perhaps a cane. But he couldn't fault the way this world's Ianto wore his suit.

"And now, darling, tell me what happened to the Daleks. Destroyed?"

The Doctor inhaled through his teeth and ran a hand through his hair; the Torchwood team cringed and glanced at each other. "Well, yeah," the Doctor said. "In a roundabout way."

Romana laughed. "A roundabout way," she repeated. "Isn't that always the way with you?"

He shrugged. "Well, we just got rid of them again. My clone committed Dalek genocide." He glanced around, trying to avoid her eyes and Jack's. "I, er, I took him to another universe as punishment. You know. For wiping out the Daleks."

Her lips grew thin. "That is the stupidest thing I ever heard."

The Doctor flinched, and Jack bobbed in between them. "I can tell you some stories that would change your mind there," he said, grinning broadly. "But what say in the meantime, we get your TARDIS to the Hub? Everyone can share campfire stories there."

Romana considered his offer and looked over her shoulder at her TARDIS. "No power source here. I can't move it."

"Ah. I can help there," the Doctor said quickly. "No Eye of Harmony. But I've got my TARDIS so it'll be fueled by rift energy. And there just so happens to be a line of rift energy that goes right through the Hub." He looked at her, vaguely resembling a wide-eyed puppy. "I could give you a tow."

She studied him, then Donna and her Ianto. Jones, she corrected herself, unless they were alone. Poor man. He shouldn't have to lose any part of his identity just because he was away from home. She turned back to the Doctor. There was only one thing to do, really. She needed to talk to him and Jack, after all. She smiled, and the Doctor whooped and grabbed her hand, practically yanking her off her feet. Ianto √ Jones √ followed, almost in a panic. Donna took his hand, and they glanced at each other in agreement. Neither of them quite trusted any of these people, even though neither of them knew why.

"Just like old times!" the Doctor exclaimed. He and Romana laughed together as they fell into the TARDIS, Ianto and Donna following awkwardly behind. 


	10. Chapter 10

Romana hadn't eaten the biscuits so much as pinched them into crumbs. She had, however, gone through four cups of tea. "That is a quandary," she admitted. She had known that the Doctor would change after the Time War, but she had not predicted to what extent. What he had done to his TARDIS desktop should have prepared her, but wiping his companion's mind, his clone wiping out the Daleks, him having a clone at all... "You actually kept it in a jar?"

"No," Jack admitted. "I kept it. And it wasn't a jar."

"I did keep it that last bit," the Doctor said, not wanting Jack to take all the blame.

Jack shrugged.

Romana glanced between them and considered their situation. Torchwood's work force had been cut nearly in half, which would have been more of a blow to her if her plans had involved them at all. As it was, Torchwood could be an advantage. Except their Ianto; he and Romana's Ianto were quietly discussing the best way to make tea, and from their expression and the set of their chin, she could tell it was rapidly falling into the most polite argument she would ever see. She took another sip of her tea and watched, fascinated.

"So the me here," Donna said, leaning forward in her chair and taking a biscuit from the tray, "she's still got her family?"

"Just Sylvia and Wilf," the Doctor said. "I'm to go back and visit, but..."

Romana's lips twitched. "You won't."

"I will!" The Doctor squared his shoulders.

"No, dearest. You say you will, but you've said it before. You prefer for the past to remain in the past." She patted his hand. "Nothing wrong with that. It hurts."

The Doctor relaxed slightly. Only slightly. He really did have the best intentions.

"Could I visit them, then?" Donna asked.

"No," the Doctor said firmly. "She sees you, even a glimpse, even if her neighbors see you and ask her what she was doing home in the middle of the day, she'll start asking questions. She starts asking questions, she might get answers. She gets answers, she might die. No going to see her, under any circumstances. Is that clear?"

Donna hung her head and nodded.

Gwen took pity on her. "But maybe you can see Sylvia and Wilf sometime somewhere else. We'll see." She reached across the conference table and patted Donna's hand.

"Well," Romana said firmly, "there seems little to be done until we get my TARDIS working." She stood and looked to the Doctor. "What are your plans, Doctor?"

"Haven't got any." He hesitated. "I was thinking, though, that you and Ianto and Donna might want to travel with me? You know, a full house? Well, fuller house. The TARDIS could never really be full, I don't think."

Romana smiled. "Maybe while construction is ongoing, but I'll need a working TARDIS sooner or later."

"You're welcome to stay here as long as you like," Jack offered with a roguish grin.

She turned her smile to him. "Thank you. I'm afraid I will have to trespass on your hospitality, but it shouldn't take too long. Particularly if we start right away." She looked at them expectantly. "That means now, darlings. I've been out of this universe a very long time. I have things to do."

Jack hopped to his feet with more decorum than the Doctor, and they both fell into step behind her as she walked to her TARDIS.

"What could you possibly have to do?" the Doctor demanded. "You aren't Lady President anymore. It's just traveling. And you have a time machine."

"Some things wait for no Time Lady," Romana intoned. She grinned at him over her shoulder, but the grin, though warm, had an edge of steel to it. "I'm going to make sure once and for all that every single Dalek is annihilated. And then, Doctor," and her grin widened into a sunny smile, "I'm going to see the Mona Lisa again. I think I'll appreciate it more than last time."

The Doctor grinned. "It's a date! Well, not a date. It's a≈ I mean, it isn't≈ Oh, you know what I mean. It's a≈" He broke off as his grin spread into a smile. "I am so glad you're back."

Her eyes twinkled. "Oh, this is just the beginning, Doctor. Just the beginning." 


End file.
